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OPM HR Exchange
3rd Quarter September 2011
A publication of the Office of Personnel Management of the
State of Oklahoma Office of State Finance
6th Annual Governor’s Executive Development Program for State Officials
Lisa Fortier, Director of HRDS
41 participants, including Agency Directors and other top executives in state government, attended the 4½ day “Governor’s Executive Development Program for State Officials” held July 31 through August 4, 2011, on the Okla¬homa State University campus in Stillwater. The program was co-hosted by the William S. Spears School of Business at Oklahoma State University and the Michael F. Price College of Business at the University of Okla­homa,
in cooperation with the Oklahoma Office of Personnel Management.
The program was designed around five executive leadership competencies identified by the U.S. Office of Personnel Manage¬ment, including leading change, leading people, results driven, business acumen, and building coalitions and communications. Instruc­tors
from Oklahoma State University, the University of Oklahoma, American University, and the Oklahoma Historical (cont. on pg 3)hr exch
CONTENTS
COVER:
6TH ANNUAL GOVERNOR’S EXECUTIVE
DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM FOR STATE
OFFICIALS
03 / • HB2140 Consolidation Begins
04 / • IPMA-HR Hosts Leadership
Conference
05 / • Multigenerational Aspects of
Workforce
06 / • Agency HR Manager Spotlight :
Jenelle P. Turner-Reid
07 / • OPM Holds Summer Training on
Affirmative Action Plans
08 / • 10th Anniversary Remembrance of
9/11
10 / • 2011 IPAC Conference
• 2011 Emergency Rule Amendment
• OPM Administrators Attend NASPE
Annual Conference
11 / • State Members of Leadership Oklahoma
Class XXV
12 / • OKCAREERS Renews JobAps Contract
• State Employees Give Benefits High
Marks in Survey
13 / • Oklahoma to be Included in
International Research Paper
14 / • The Reputation of Good Leadership
Travels Far
15 / • 2011 AAA Memos
• Agency Professional HR Staff Changes
• CPP & SHRM Certifications 03
Executive Development Program cont. from cover
Society presented information on: Emotional Intelligence: Competencies of Star Performers: Historical Perspectives of Oklahoma Government; The Rise and Fall of Entitlement: Creating a Culture of Accountability; Storytelling to Enhance Orga­nizational
Performance; The “State” of the Public Sector Leadership Challenge; Decision Making and Critical Thinking; Legal and Ethical Issues In Government; From Traditionals to Millennials: Leading Generations at Work; Discover Your Leader­ship
Strengths; Getting the Bad News You Need: Maximizing Human Resources with Leadership Communication; Leading Change; and, Developing Influence and Managing Change in Public Sector Organizations.
On the final day of the program, Dr. Phyllis Hudecki, Oklahoma State Secretary of Education, spoke on behalf of Governor Mary Fallin, and then presented certificates of completion to all of the participants. All graduates have been invited to a photo session with Governor Mary Fallin in the Blue Room of the Oklahoma State Capitol on September 8, 2011.
Participants in the session included: Martha Penisten, Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality; Lesli Blazer, Oklaho­ma
Department of Human Services; Crystal Townsend, Oklahoma Commission on Marginally Producing Oil & Gas Wells; Lisa Blodgett, Sara Cowden and Terry Zuniga, Oklahoma Department of Central Services; Leon Bragg and Sylvia Lopez, Oklahoma Health Care Authority; Darlene Drew, Kay Newell and John Pettis, Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency;
Steve Funck, Jill Geiger, Carol McFarland and Alex Pettit, Oklahoma Office of State Finance; Kelly Baker, K. C. Ely, Neil Hann and Lauri Smithee, Oklahoma State Department of Health; Marla Baker, Kevin Statham and Noel Tyler, Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services; Jamey Allen and Judy Buck, Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food & Forestry; Vaughn Clark, Oklahoma Department of Commerce; Mike Fina, Mickerl Jones, Cindy Melton and Elton Milton, Oklahoma Department of Cen­tral
Services; Sarah Mussett, Oklahoma Construction Industries Board; Michelle Wynn, Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science & Technology; Susan Cain, Oklahoma State Fire Marshal’s Office; Debra Roseburr and Pete Shipman, Oklahoma Employment Security Commission; Lynn Bajema, Bo Reese and Frank Wilson, Oklahoma State Education & Employees Group Insurance Board; Brian King, Oklahoma Employees Benefits Council; Mike Thompson, Oklahoma Department of Public Safety; Tom Patt, Oklahoma Office of Personnel Management; and Stephen McKeever, Oklahoma State University.
HB 2140 Consolidation Begins
Carol McFarland, Transition Project Manager, Office of State Finance
On May 24, 2011, House Bill 2140, the State Government Administrative Process Consolidation and Reor­ganization
Reform Act of 2011, was signed into law. It became effective August 26, 2011. The bill calls for the consolidation of five state government administration agencies. The Office of State Finance (OSF) is charged with leading the consolidation of its organization with the Department of Central Services (DCS), the Employee Benefits Council (EBC), the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Oklahoma State and Education Employees Group Insurance Board (OSEEGIB). That integrates a wide range of responsibilities and core missions!
So what does this mean for state employees? For those in one of the five agencies, it means a time of change. The first course of action is to consolidate “back office functions” by the end of the calendar year. These agencies will be involved in combining some of their accounting processes as well as payroll and human resource functions. OSF staff members will be contacting their counterparts in the other agencies to meld their operations
For employees in other agencies, there may not be too many noticeable changes immediately. As soon as possible, the five “departments” will be working to streamline and / or improve other functions and processes. This is an opportunity to evaluate the need for changes in our structure, operations and/or policy. This will eventually lead to some noticeable differences and we look forward to feedback from our customers.
We are under an obligation through the legislation to identify a 15 percent cost savings. This is a tricky prospect with all the cutbacks and shortfalls we’ve endured the past couple of years. However, we anticipate the consolidation along with some improved processes will result in that savings. We’ll be updating Governor Fallin on our progress in a report due by December 31.
As the Transition Project Manager, please feel free to contact me at any time about concerns or questions you may have. You can reach me by phone at (405) 521-6150 or by email at Carol.McFarland@osf.ok.gov. I look forward to working with every­one
involved! 04
IPMA-HR Hosts Leadership Conference
Tom Patt, Assistant Administrator for Management Services
The current and future leaders of the International Public Management Association for Human Resources (IPMA-HR), its local chapters and regions, met in Las Vegas, NV, August 19 – 21, 2011, for a leadership conference to immerse themselves in leadership training and information about the Association. The conference brought together 63 people in leadership positions from all four regions of IPMA-HR. The Association paid for the registration fees and accommodations of the attendees, who consisted of chapter presidents and presidents-elect, as well as regional officers of the Association.
In attendance from Oklahoma were Jenelle Turner-Reid, Human Resources Management Specialist at the Oklahoma Edu­cational
Television Authority and current President of the Oklahoma Public Human Resources Association (OPHRA), the Oklahoma chapter of IPMA-HR; and Tom Patt, Assistant Administrator for Management Services at the Oklahoma Office of Personnel Management and President-Elect of OPHRA.
The first day of the conference involved an interactive discussion regarding leaders and leadership principles. This discus­sion
was facilitated by Cheryl Cepelak, the Director of Administration for the Connecticut Department of Corrections. With the assistance of the facilitator, the group addressed issues such as the challenges of being a volunteer leaders and the characteristics of effective and ineffective leaders.
One activity that generated a great deal of lively discussion was the world café of hot topics. World café is a format for fostering collaborative dialogue about a topic or set of topics among groups of people. As used in this setting, the larger group of conference attendees was evenly divided into smaller groups, each with a separate topic. Topics to be discussed included such issues as sustainability, technology, and best practices. Each group discussed their respective topic for ap­proximately
15 minutes, then moved to a different topic. A facilitator was assigned to each group to capture the key ideas discussed and to summarize those ideas for the ensuing discussion group. In each subsequent discussion session, the key ideas were discussed in more depth. At the end of the four rounds, the facilitators reported back on major insights brought forth during the discussion groups.
On the last day of the conference, IPMA-HR Executive Director Neil Reichenberg presented updates on the Association. He discussed the strategic planning process the organization has undertaken; the results of the recent membership sur­vey;
the products and services of the Association; publications and social media involvement; the certification program; the international activities of the Association; and regional and chapter services. Heather Corbin, Professional Development and Research Coordinator for the Association, gave a short presentation on the International Training Conference that will be held September 24 – 28 in Chicago, Illinois. She also reviewed the many professional development courses available through the Association.
Both Tom and Jenelle expressed their appreciation for the wealth of information provided during the short, one and one-half day conference. “This was my second conference, “ said Jenelle, who attended last year as OPHRA President-Elect, “but I feel I learned as much this year as I did last. It was an excellent investment of time.” Similar sentiments were echoed by other attendees as the conference came to a close.
In the picture, from left to right:
Neil Reichenberg , IPMA-HR Executive Director; Tom Patt, OPHR President-Elect, OPM;
and Jenelle Turner-Reid,
OPHR President, OETA.05
Multigenerational Aspects of Workforce
Ross Tripp, Workforce Planning Manager
As of June 30th 2011, there are 34,390 full time/regular employees working in Oklahoma’s State Gov­ernment.
That’s one state employee for every one hundred and seven citizens; a relatively high number compared to other states. Professionals comprise the vast majority of state workers at forty-six percent and administrative support ranks second at fourteen percent. Of the 34,390 workers approximately fifty-seven percent of those employees are female and twenty-three percent are minority and the average state worker is approximately forty-six years of age.
When looking at the composition of the state workforce these are all valuable statistics. But, in looking at who this work­force
is and how it will change over time there are other factors to consider. For the last decade there has been an in­creasing
trend in HR to study employee composition not simply by size, ethnicity, gender or age; but to also look at its generational representation. No doubt spurred by the impending departure of the largest generation in the workforce, the Baby Boomers; these studies look less at traditional compositional studies of our workforce, but instead at what strengths and weakness can be projected based on generational understandings and the interactions between these generations. I.E. the more we understand about the groups, the more we know how to identify potential conflicts and expectations as the workplace transforms in the wake of the impending retirement bubble.
There are four distinct generations in the workforce today with one group, the baby boomers large enough and diverse enough to be divided into two categories (early and late). They are: The Traditionals, the Baby Boomers (early and late), Generation X, and Generation Y (Millennials). There is debate on the size and range of each generation but here is a brief summary: The Traditionals are comprised of the 75 million people born before 1945. The Baby Boomers (early and late) are the approximately 80 million born between 1945-1967, Gen- Xers are a much smaller generation and comprise the 46 million born between 1967-1982, and the Millennials number about 76 million and range from 1982 to approximately year 2000. The chart below shows how Oklahoma’s workforce is falls into the generational groups.
Not surprisingly the Baby Boomers, even when broken into early and late comprise the largest section of Oklahoma’s workforce. However, Gen-Xers hold a surprisingly large percentage of jobs considering their much smaller population. In addition, while retirement eligibility projections seem to point to a mass exodus of baby boomers over the next ten years, hiring and retirement patterns indicate that while the number of early boomers will reduce significantly, late bloomers and Gen-Xers will likely remain constant. Millennials will increase over the next ten years but, in smaller numbers than initially expected.
There are of course many potential influencing factors and possible ramifications and this article is too brief to discuss them all in-depth, but more information about this generational analysis can be found in the FY2011 OPM Annual Report and Workforce Summary. For more information on this article or the OPM FY2011 Annual Report, please contact Ross Tripp, Manager of Workforce Planning, at (405) 521-6376 or ross.tripp@opm.ok.gov.06
Agency HR Director Spotlight: Jenelle P. Turner-Reid
OKLAHOMA EDUCATIONAL TELEVISION AUTHORITY (OETA)
The Oklahoma Educational Television Authority (OETA-The Oklahoma Network) provides educational and public television programming and services to Oklahomans state­wide.
OETA employs the creative use of telecommunica­tions
technologies to deliver essential educational services to enrich the quality of life for all Oklahoma citizens.
As a result of that mission, OETA consistently engages Oklahomans across the state with engaging and interactive content, outreach initiatives and online features that collec­tively
encourage lifelong learning.
In 1956, OETA began with one transmitting station, little money, limited broadcast hours and a small, almost immea­surable
audience. Today, with OETA’s statewide network of four transmitting stations and 15 translator stations, more than 1.8 million viewers tune into OETA and a second digi­tal
channel, OKLA, on a weekly basis. OETA consistently places among the top three public television stations in the country.
Recently, OETA has extended its reach beyond the tele­vision
screen and into Oklahoma communities, adding di­verse
outreach initiatives to complement programming and local productions. Highlights include Centennial produc­tions,
World War II and Native American story collection and literacy initiatives.
By using the power of educational media, OETA strives to close the achievement gap and increase the odds for Oklahoma’s children, regardless of circumstances, to suc­ceed
in school and life. The Ready to Learn program is a unique, collaborative effort led by OETA in partnership with the Oklahoma Department of Libraries and the Oklahoma Department of Human Services. Ready to Learn prepares children for school, working to reduce illiteracy and help build a foundation for a lifetime of learning.
One of the most important ways OETA serves the people of Oklahoma is by providing thousands of hours of solid, in-depth political and governmental coverage, as well as award-winning, inspiring, entertaining, educational and informational programs and documentaries exploring the arts, culture, current issues and history of this great state.
Jenelle has been at OETA as a Human Resources Manage­ment
Specialist since June 1, 2006. Before joining OETA, Jenelle worked as an HR Manager for Eagle Ridge Institute for nine years. Her current duties include various Human Resources responsibilities including maintaining current state and federal compliance laws and Federal Commu­nication
Commission regulations for Oklahoma’s Public Broadcasting Service.
She is a Certified Personnel Professional, Notary Officer, Affirmative Action Officer, State Charitable Champaign Co­ordinator,
Mediation Representative, and Benefits & Retire­ment
Coordinator for OETA.
Elected to the Oklahoma Public Human Resources Associa­tion
(OPHRA) Board of Directors as the 2nd Vice President for FY09 she is currently the President of OPHRA 2011-2012.
She currently serves on the Employees Benefits Coordinators Association as co-chair and has been a member since 2006.
In addition, Mrs. Turner-Reid has served on the 2008 National Association of State Personnel Executives hosting committee and the International Public Management Association for Hu­man
Resources Region Conference in Oklahoma City April 24-28, 2010.
Regularly attends Human Resource Development Services workshops, IPMA-HR Leadership trainings, OPHRA quarterly trainings, OKC Metro Employer Council monthly trainings, and Leadership Development Training hosted by the Federal Ex­ecutive
Board.
Jenelle completed her degree in 1984 in Norfolk, Virginia. Her special interests include traveling and spending time with her family. She has been married to Eddie for 26 years and they have five children (ages 30, 25, 22, 16 & 13) two granddaugh­ters
(ages 8 (Graisen), 5 (Keira) and one grandson (age 2 (Collin)).07
OPM Holds Summer Training on Affirmative Action Plans
Brenda Thornton, Director of Equal Opportunity and Workforce Diversity
“Thank you for making a sometimes “sensitive” topic very informative and fun to learn about.” “(I) learned to reach out to more minorities. Great work!” “Thanks for having this training earlier than August!”
This summer has been very educational for those needing to learn more about the affirmative action plan process. Above are just some of the many comments that were included on the evaluation sheets following training at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Brenda C. Thornton, Director of the OPM Office of Equal Opportu­nity
and Workforce Diversity (EOWD), used this time of the year to teach at all levels of the process.
Summer began with four half-day advanced/feedback training sessions being conducted in June. The feedback training is intended for the person who already has knowledge about and responsibility for creating an agency affirmative action plan in either a large or small agency. It is designed for open discussions and feedback regarding issues about the affirmative action plan process.
Traditionally held in July and as late as August, the advanced/feedback sessions were moved to June as a result of feedback from a training course addressing further clarification of the process conducted last year by April Story, Human Resources Programs Manager with the Oklahoma State and Education Employees Group Insurance Board (OSEEGIB). Participants stated that they would prefer to have the advanced/feedback training earlier in the summer, thus, allowing them more time to prepare and submit their plans before the September 1 deadline.
Mid-summer saw four half-day beginning training sessions scheduled, one in July and three in August. The beginning train­ing
is basic level training, intended for the person who is new to or with little to no knowledge about how to create an agency affirmative action plan. The assumption in these sessions is that participants know nothing about the affirmative action plan or process.
Participants of both the advanced and beginning training sessions received three hours of credit towards their mandatory annual training requirements.
In addition to the advanced and beginning training sessions, during the last week in August a half-day training session was conducted specifically for the Affirmative Action Review Council (AARC) members. Kara Smith, OPM General Counsel, reviewed and explained the statutory responsibilities assigned to the council members. The AARC is composed of Rep. Mike Shelton and Rep. Jabar Shumate (appointed by the Governor), Harold Roberts and Gloria Wallace (appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives), and David Ealy and Jonathan Small II (appointed by the Senate President Pro Tempore).
One question on the evaluation sheet asked the participant to list at least one way they will use this course content at work. Comments included the following:
“To complete error-free AA/EEO Plan.” “In preparing our affirmative action plan and enforcing it. Very helpful!” “In prepara­tion
of Affirmative Action Plan for agency and in communicating the goals and purpose of EEO/Affirmative Action to others at work.” “To competently put together an AA Plan.”
These results epitomize the objectives established for the affirmative action plan training and the state of Oklahoma, now with a well-trained affirmative action work force, is the winner.08
This article appeared ten years ago in the September 18, 2001 issue of the ASPAnet newsletter of the American Society for Public Administration, one week after the September 11, 2001 bombing of the World Trade Center in New York City.
“Terrorist Attacks . . . ‘Déjà Vu All Over Again’!”
10th Anniversary Remembrance of 9/11
Oscar Jackson, OPM Administrator & Cabinet Secretary for Human Resources and Administration
The Shock, the Horror, and the Similarity
On Wednesday, April 19, 1995, a little after 9:00 a.m., my Executive Assistant advised me that the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City had been bombed. On Tuesday, September 11, 2001, a little after 9:00 a.m., my Executive Assis-tant advised me that the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon just outside Washington, DC had been attacked. As I stared at the television screen in dis-belief, I couldn’t help but think, as Yogi Berra once observed, “It’s déjà vu all over again.” Though one horrible event was perpetrated by a malcontent from within the United States, and the other appears to have been orchestrated by elements outside the United States, the feelings, emotions, and images following these terrible inci-dents are so similar—and so are the demands on public servants.
It has never been easy being a public servant, and during the last few years it has seemed particularly difficult, what with news of workplace violence becoming more and more commonplace. Of course, Oklahoma received a most brutal wake-up call concerning workplace violence when the Murrah Building was bombed by a cowardly individual in support of what he considered a worthwhile cause. One hundred sixty-eight individuals perished that day, the vast majority of whom were public servants. Two were state employees at work in other buildings also severely damaged by the blast.
The first photos last Tuesday of rescue workers among the rubble of the fallen twin towers of the World Trade Center were too eerily similar to those documenting the devastation at the base of the stricken federal office building in Oklahoma City a little over six years ago. Of course, the death toll from last week’s catastrophe will be even more staggering. And, a fair number of those individuals, too, will be public servants—those who re­sponded
immediately to news of the attack and those at work in the World Trade Center when evil paid its deadly call. Staff members of the New York Department of En­vironmental
Conservation, Department of Taxation and Finance, Department of Transportation, Court of Claims, Office of the State Comptroller, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey reported to work at their of­fices
in the twin towers on Tuesday morning unaware of the devastation about to be visited upon them. And, many are still unaccounted for.
Necessary, Practical Steps
So, what happens after the dust and smoke finally clear, the rubble is hauled away, and the lost are found, identi­fied,
and buried? As hard as it is to believe only one week after the attack on the World Trade Center and the Penta­gon,
life does go on and part of the focus will begin to shift from those who did not survive to those who did. Oklaho-mans learned what it means to be a “survivor” long before “reality TV” attempted to enlighten us.
In the hours immediately following the Murrah bombing, Robert Stevens, who coordi-nates the Office of Personnel Management State Employee Assistance Program (EAP), worked with other Oklahoma state government EAP pro­fessionals
to respond to the immediate need for a crisis briefing. Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating approved the request and authorized State EAP professionals to move forward with their plans. Staff quickly prepared instructional flyers, telephoned other agencies, set up a hotline, and gathered support from other sources in the community.
The day after the bombing the EAP briefing team advised agency directors, personnel managers, and supervisors of the need to be supportive of one another during the vari-ous phases of recovery. The EAP professionals cau­tioned
state agency managers to watch for signs of shock, anxiety, memory loss, irritability, and sensitivity. EAP staff members also cautioned these agency managers that severe emotional impact might not show up until later—as soon as six to seven days or as late as six to ten weeks after the incident. The members of the EAP cadre provided suggestions on strategies to cope with the wide range of emotions agency managers and their staff members might be experiencing. Individuals were encouraged to get some type of normalcy in their daily lives, exercise, take time to rest, and give themselves permission to take appropriate time to work through the trauma.
In addition, Mr. Stevens developed the “State Employees Bombing Recovery Commit-tee” to provide support and to aid in the recovery of state employees directly affected by the bombing. This group was made up of staff members of the state agencies housed in buildings damaged by the bombing—Oklahoma Basic Health Benefits Board; the Risk Management Division of the Department of Central Services; Oklahoma Guaranteed Student Loan Program; Oklahoma Tuition Aid Grant Program; the State Historic Preservation Office of the Oklahoma Historical Society; Oklahoma Department of Securities; Oklahoma Water Re09
sources Board; Criminal Justice Resource Center of Okla­homa;
Truth in Sentencing Policy Advisory Commission; and the Oklahoma Small Business Development Center of the University of Central Oklahoma—who met many times during the painful days, weeks, and months follow­ing
the bombing and who proved to be helpful not only to each other, but to other state government colleagues who, though they did not suffer as directly, suffered nonetheless.
On May 1, 1995, Governor Keating issued an Executive Order directing that state em-ployees “with immediate family members dead, missing, or seriously injured as a result” of the Murrah bombing be granted leave with pay, which he called “disaster leave”, from April 19, 1995, through May 19, 1995. Because time away from work must be ac-counted for in some way and because there were no policies or procedures addressing an incident such as the Murrah bombing, on May 16, I, as Administrator of the Office of Personnel Management, adopted an emergency amendment to the Merit Rules of Per-sonnel Administra­tion
to authorize disaster leave for state employees. The Governor approved this rule and it became effective imme­diately
for the time period specified in the Executive Order.
On May 18, 1995, I adopted an emergency amendment to the Merit Rules of Personnel Administration providing for paid administrative leave for state employees physically injured as a result of the Murrah bombing. On October 17, 1995, I adopted an emer-gency rule that applied to em­ployees
of state agencies housed in buildings damaged by the Murrah bombing and state employees physically present in such buildings in an official capacity who suf­fered
physical, mental, or emotional harm as a result of the bombing. This rule came about as the result of input from the survivors’ group mentioned earlier—members were concerned that many employees who were not physically harmed by the bombing did suffer mental and emotional harm.
In 1997, I adopted two rules authorizing paid administrative leave for state employees to attend the trials of Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, the two men charged in the Murrah bombing. Both rules were effective through July 14, 1998.
Some Thoughts On This Thing Called Public Service
A couple of weeks after the Murrah bombing, we cel­ebrated
Public Service Recog-nition Week here in Okla­homa,
as did many of you in your home states. Some folks criticized us for not canceling this annual celebration of public sector employees. They said it seemed somewhat disrespectful in light of the bombing. We politely disagreed. We felt that it was the perfect time to lift up public employ­ees,
to give them long-overdue praise for their service to the citizens of the state and the nation. We felt it was a good time to say thank you, too late for some, for all these public servants do for so many people everyday. We felt it was appropriate, at that time, to honor not just those public employees who perished even as they served, but to honor those who, in some cases, traveled many miles and put their physical and mental health on the line to rescue those they could rescue and to bury those they could not. And, who thought nothing of it.
The late United States Senator Sam Ervin called public servants “men and women of capacity” who, if they “refuse to take part in politics and government . . . condemn them-selves, as well as the people, to the punishment of living under bad government.” For-tunately, but sadly, there seems to be no limit to the “men and women of capacity” who live and work in Oklahoma, New York, and every other state in the Union. It is not an exaggeration to say we would all be lost without them.10
OPM Administrators Attend NASPE Annual Conference
Hank Batty, Deputy Administrator for Programs
OPM Administrator Oscar Jackson and Deputy Administrator Hank Batty attended the National Association of State Personnel Executives (NASPE) Annual Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana July 16 through July 20, 2011. The gathering included HR executives from thirty-two states as well as corporate sponsors representing thirteen vendors of HR-related products. Hank Batty completed his term as a member of the NASPE Executive Committee.
As had been the case at the NASPE Mid-year meeting last January, the focus of attention continued to fall on the tight budgets facing virtually all state governments and the various strategies being employed to confront them. In particular, many states, including Oklahoma, have initiated consolidation efforts that combine several agencies into one in the hopes of eliminating any duplication of functions that may be identified. Other states have or will initiate shared services programs that centralize HR functions, especially payroll and personnel transactions, and HR authority into a central HR department or agency. “Ironically, these centralizing efforts come in the wake of the trend toward de-centralization of state HR services in the past fifteen years,” said Batty. “As states move to enterprise-wide HR systems, the shared services approach promises not only significant savings in staff needed to maintain HR records but also dramatic reductions in errors entered into HR systems,” he added, noting that Pennsylvania, for one, reduced its error rate on HR records from over 5 percent to less than one percent thanks to a shared service implementation.
Both Batty and Jackson believe strongly that involvement in NASPE serves the state HR community well. More than one ob­server
has noted that state governments are the laboratories of public sector innovation and creativity. Through NASPE, Okla­homa’s
HR community can learn first-hand of the experiences of others and strategies for meeting the challenges we all face.
The 2011 conference of the International Personnel Assessment Council (IPAC) was held July 17-20 in Washington, D.C. Natasha Riley and Justine Heard represented the Office of Personnel Management at the conference. The conference included many valuable sessions focusing on development and valida­tion
of selection instruments, job analysis, and using technology in selection. As always, it also provided wonderful opportunities to discuss assessment issues with other assessment professionals from public jurisdictions as well as consultants who work in the field of personnel assessment.
2011 IPAC Conference
Natasha Riley, Director of Personnel Assessment
Please be advised that amendments to the following Merit Rules were approved by Governor Mary Fallin on August 31, 2011. The effective date of the amendments to the following Merit Rules is August 31, 2011.
MERIT RULES
Subchapter 15. Time and Leave
Part 5. Miscellaneous Types of Leave
530:10-15-58 [NEW]
Appendix A. Pay Band Schedule [REVOKED]
Appendix A. Pay Band Schedule [NEW]
2011 Emergency Rule Amendments
Kara Smith, General Counsel11
In 1986, a group of Oklahoma leaders began a series of meetings and discussions based on the belief that we all have a stake in developing the prosperity and confronting the problems of our state. They shared the conviction that our leadership must understand the complex differences and relationships that drive Oklahoma in order to find effective solutions. From those meetings came Leadership Oklahoma, an organization designed to create a dynamic network of leaders whose increased awareness and com­mitment
to service will energize Oklahomans to shape the state’s future. As we enter our 25th year, the founding principles of Leadership Oklahoma are still true.
Each year, Leadership Oklahoma brings together 50 of the state’s most outstanding leaders for 10 issues-oriented sessions that address critical challenges facing our state. Participants are chosen through a rigorous application process and selected to represent Oklahoma’s professional, geographical, and cultural diversity. Class members hail from public and private sectors, large traded companies and small startups, government and business, univer­sity
and elementary education. The goal is to tap the energies of those leaders to initiate positive change for the benefit of all Oklahomans. The shared Leadership Oklahoma experience forges lifelong bonds, a collaborative spirit and exposure to a broad range of communities. We motivate graduates to learn more about Oklahoma’s local, regional and statewide issues. When diverse minds from diverse backgrounds work together, nothing is impossible.
In Leadership Oklahoma Class XXV we are fortunate to have three representatives from state government as class members. They are (pictured below from left to right):
• Ken Miller, Oklahoma State Treasurer, State of Oklahoma
• Brent Wright, Director of Government Affairs, Oklahoma National Guard
• Mike Thompson, Deputy Commissioner of Government Relations & Public Affairs,
Oklahoma Insurance Department, Commissioner John Doak
Leadership Oklahoma graduates remain connected to the organization and its members after their class year. They see the result of the common experiences and work toward change through mutual respect with other graduates. Graduates of Leadership Oklahoma include Brad Henry, Jari Askins, Janet Barresi, Sandy Garrett, Don Armes, Jim Reese, Gary Banz, Glenn Coffee, Drew Edmondson, Terri White, Joe Dorman, Lee Denney, Randy McDaniel, Kevin Ward, Oscar Jackson, Noel Tyler, T.W. Shannon, Scott Pruitt, Kerry Pettingill, Kim Holland, Phyllis Hudecki, Susan Paddack, Anastasia Pittman, Ben Sherrer, Clark Jolley, Cliff Branan, Jabar Shumate, Jeannie McDaniel, Joe Sweeden, Mike Jackson, Rob Johnson, Todd Russ, Wes Hilliard, and many others.
During each Leadership Oklahoma class, I watch people learn more about issues from around our state. I watch as participants are inspired by what they have learned. I watch them get more involved in improving our state. That personal commitment brings about positive change. Leadership Oklahoma develops the leaders who make Okla­homa
a better place to live and work for everyone. Leadership Oklahoma provides hope for the future.
State Members of Leadership Oklahoma Class XXV
Ann Ackerman, CEO, Leadership Oklahoma12
OKCAREERS Renews JobAps Contract
Hank Batty, Deputy Administrator for Programs
After having completed an initial three-year contract, the Office of Personnel Management has renewed its contract with One Planet Web Inc. DBA Job Aps for one (1) year: July 1, 2011 thru June 30, 2012 with the op­tion
to renew for four (4) additional one (1) year periods. The JobAps vendor software provides the platform for OKCareers, the state’s web-based employment application, testing, applicant tracking and certification system that was launched in January, 2008.
“OKCareers has allowed us to provide a level of service to state agencies and job applicants that far surpasses anything we had had before”, said Hank Batty, Deputy Administrator for Programs. Where OPM used to receive approximately 80,000 applica­tions
for state employment each year, Applicant Services staff now receives up to 120,000. Also OKCareers enables OPM to target specific vacancies in both the classified and unclassified service while reducing the amount of labor required by OPM staff and the staff of hiring agencies. “Going back to our pre-OKCareers systems would be tantamount to the return of pay phones and adding machines,” said Batty.
State Employees Give Benefits High Marks in Survey
Brian King, Comminications Officer, Employees Benefit Council of the Office of State Finance
How important is the benefits package in your decision to work for the State? For 92 percent of the state employees who answered a recent survey, the answer is “important” or “very important.”
The question was one of several that hundreds of state employees answered in the 2011 Total Compensa­tion
Statement Survey. The personalized statements, which feature dollar values of each employee’s salary, insurance costs, retirement, and statutory benefits, were distributed in April. The statements included a letter from Governor Mary Fallin, en­couraging
recipients to participate in the survey. Most of the respondents answered the survey online through the Benefits Administration System on the Employees Benefits Council Web site, while others filled out paper versions available through their Benefits Coordinators.
In one section of the survey, respondents were asked to rate their level of satisfaction with 14 separate parts of their total com­pensation
on a scale from one to five, with five as “very satisfied” and one as “very unsatisfied.” Not surprisingly, leave time earned the most favorable marks. Annual leave scored the highest, with a combined 88 percent of “very satisfied” (42%) and “satisfied” (46%). Sick leave and holidays tied for a close second-place finish with 86 percent either “very satisfied” or “satis­fied.”
On the other end of the spectrum was Annual Base Salary with 36 percent of respondents rating it either a “4” or a “5.”
Other highlights from the survey:
• 73 percent gave favorable marks to health insurance.
• 80 percent gave favorable marks to dental insurance.
• 88 percent indicated they feel well informed about the
benefits offered by the State.
• 82 percent indicated they found their personalized
Total Compensation Statement valuable.
The Total Compensation Survey was conducted by the Employees Benefits Council and Office of Personnel Management with input from the Oklahoma Public Em­ployees
Retirement System.13
Oklahoma to be Included in International Research Paper
Brenda Thornton, Director of Equal Opportunity and Workforce Diversity
The first correspondence began: “First of all, please allow me to introduce my­self.
My name is Mariko Nohata, and I am a professor of Sociology in Tsuru University, Ja­pan.
My specialty is Industrial Sociology, especially Corporate Culture, Gender Discrimination and Fe­male
Career Advancement in the workplace. I am writing this letter to ask you to be interviewed for the research on Diversity and Inclusion in the United States.” Prof. Nohata wrote this message in June to Brenda C. Thornton, Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity and Workforce Diversity (EOWD) at the Office of Personnel Man­agement
(OPM), after finding her name and contact information through the OPM home page during a search on the internet.
Subsequent messages between the two pro­vided
clarity to Prof. Nohata’s reason for contact and mission. She was coming to the United States to study diversity and inclusion in this country “where the initiatives began and lead other coun­tries.”
Her mission for coming to Oklahoma was to study diversity and inclusion and af­firmative
action of this State based on a report she found that credited Oklahoma’s diversity as one of the best practices.
During the actual interview with Ms. Thornton on August 12, Prof. Nohata and her Assistant/Husband Hiroyasu Nohata shared a document that they had located on the internet entitled Best Practices in Diversity Management, prepared by the IPMA/NASPE (International Personnel Management Association/Na­tional
Association of State Personnel Executives) Benchmark­ing
Committee for presentation during the United Nations Expert Group Meeting on Managing Diversity in the Civil Service held in New York City in May 2001. As a result of reading this report, Prof. Nohata was determined to visit Oklahoma for her research.
The IPMA/NASPE Benchmarking Committee, consisted of pub­lic
sector human resource practitioners, conducted benchmark­ing
surveys in 1998 and 2000 of both IPMA and NASPE mem­bers.
The primary areas surveyed in 1998 were recruitment and selection, recruitment and retention of information technology staff, and training; in 2000 total compensation, recruitment and selection, and training were surveyed. About 350 orga­nizations
completed the 1998 survey and approximately 200 organizations completed the 2000 survey. An analy­sis
of the results identified a key component of the project of best practice organizations. The goal of selecting best practice organizations was to highlight successful models that could be reviewed and adapted in whole or in part by public sector organizations.
From the data contained in the 1998 survey, nineteen best practice organizations were selected in the following areas: diversity/affirmative action; timely hiring; information tech­nology
recruitment and selection; training evaluation; and linking competencies to training. The diversity best practice organizations were the States of Oklahoma, Washington, Wisconsin and the City of St. Petersburg, Florida. Best practice orga­nizations
value people and cultivate an environment where cultural awareness, sensitivity, fair­ness
and integ­rity
prosper. All employees be­lieve
that they can progress if they are quali­fied,
motivated and work hard. (At the time of the report, the Benchmarking Committee had not selected best practice organizations from the 2000 survey.)
Some reasons given in the paper that the State of Okla­homa
was selected as a best practice organization in­cluded
Oklahoma has an effective law that assigns key roles to the legislative leadership and mandates agency action; a commitment to diversity from top management; a strong oversight role for the State Office of Personnel Management (OPM); and a civil service system with no labor unions; thus, putting the State’s philosophy regarding diversity and affirmative action at the forefront.
Pictured above: Prof. Mariko Nohata, Hiroyasu Nohata, Assistant and Husband to Prof. Mariko Nohata, and Brenda C. Thornton.
(cont. on page 14)14
The Reputation of Good Leadership Travels Far
Joyce Doakes Smith , Quality Oklahoma and Productivity Enhancement Programs Coordinator
Copious notes and lots of questions were the order of the day while Lilian Bimbirra de Assis tried to capture 32 years of program knowledge and 27 years of post program experience in just a few hours.
Recently, the National Consortium of Certified Public Managers®, the American Academy of Certified Public Managers® (AACPM), and the Oklahoma Society of Certified Public Managers® (OSCPM) were privileged to host Lilian Bim­birra
de Assis, executive coordinator of the Sistema de Avaliacilo de Potencial de Servidores Governamentais. Ms. Bimbirra de Assis was on a fact-finding mission to the United States to learn more about state certified public manager® programs, the Consortium and AACPM, and state Societies. The Brazilian leadership is very interested in the CPM program and its affiliate organizations and the possibility of replicating them there.
At the Oklahoma Office of Personnel Management, Ms. Bimbirra de Assis was introduced to Oscar B. Jackson, Jr., administra­tor,
and met with Lisa Fortier, director of the Oklahoma Certified Public Manager Program®, and Joyce Smith, AACPM immediate past president.
She later met with Annette Meyers, OSCPM president, and Paula Printup-Porter, OSCPM immediate past president.
Prior to arriving in Oklahoma City, Ms. Bimbirra de As­sis
visited Jack Lemons, Consortium executive direc­tor
in Raleigh, NC. After her meetings, here, and a quick trip to the Oklahoma City National Memorial, she left OKC enroute to Pennsylvania and Missouri to visit their program directors. She was invited to attend the Consortium’s annual meeting and the AACPM’s annu­al
conference in Salt Lake City, Utah in October 2011, and accepted the invitations.
Pictured from left to right: Lisa Fortier and Joyce Smith pose at OPM with Lilian Bambirra de Assis of Brazil.
International Research Parer cont. from page 13.
The paper concluded that “organizations can be strengthened by leveraging differences that mirror the diversity of its citizens. Surveys…demonstrated a positive impact on high performance where senior management teams include a diversity of ages, ethnicity, and gender. A diverse workforce also can improve organizational productivity and creativity. Managing a diverse workforce can be a challenge. When people from different backgrounds come together in the workplace, there is potential for great accomplishment, but also for great conflict. “
When asked what she planned to accomplish during her visit, Prof. Nohata stated, “I am visiting several leading governments and companies in diversity and inclusion to understand the policy and the practices; and also I am trying to make clear the dif­ferences
among diversity, diversity and inclusion, and affirmative action.”
When asked what she planned to accomplish with her research, Prof. Nohata said, “Japanese employers still regard traditional policy of lifetime employment and seniority system as CSR for employees although it might be difficult to maintain those prac­tices.
On the other hand, scholars argue that the objective of diversity initiatives is only the business strategy, but not CSR. As well affirmative action has finished. These assertions are very much questionable to me and I want to present the real American situation to Japanese society so to lead them toward correct understanding. The key point is, I think, that diversity and inclusion is cultural change and welcome to all various employees, and that affirmative action is strongly continuing.”
Following the interview with Ms. Thornton, the Nohatas visited with Oscar B. Jackson, Jr., OPM Administrator and Cabinet Sec­retary
of Human Resources and Administration, and Hank Batty, Deputy Administrator of Programs. Mr. Jackson presented each of them with an official state pin in memory of their visit to Oklahoma, and they exchanged traditional Japanese wrapping cloths as tokens of their appreciation.
Having traveled to Oklahoma City from Seattle, WA, the Nohatas planned to tour downtown, including the Bombing Memo­rial
and Bricktown, leaving the city to visit Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and New York City before returning to Japan. They arrived in Oklahoma with questions but left armed with good will, a better understanding of the Oklahoma affirmative action process, and a wealth of information for research, which Prof. Nohata “is pleased to share” upon its completion. 15
CERTIFIED PERSONNEL
PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS
(since June 2011)
Debbie A. Davis, ODMHSAS, June 23, 2011
Valerie D. McBane, ODCTE, June 23, 2011
Kristin H. Elsenbeck, OSF, June 6, 2011
Ellen M. Buettner, ODMHSAS, June 23, 2011
Craig A. Cates, EBC, June 27, 2011
Alyssa Lee, MPC, July 27, 2011
Candace F. Gutierrez, MPC, July 27, 2011
SOCIETY FOR HUMAN RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT CERTIFICATIONS &
RECERTIFICATIONS (since June 2011)
Jamie Bush, CompSource, Certified for Professional in Human Resources (PHR) Certification, 07/01/11
Oleda Hicks, Department of Labor, Certified for Pro­fessional
in Human Resources (PHR) Recertification, 07/01/11
Scott Lang, Tourism and Recreation Department, Certified for Professional in Human Resources (PHR) Recertification, 07/01/11
Note: For additional information on SHRM PHR, SPHR and GPHR certification, see www.shrm.org.
2011 ALL APPOINTING
AUTHORITIES MEMORANDUMS
OPM 11-26 – 06/20/11: 2012 Holiday Schedule for State Employees
OPM 11-27 – 06/24/11: Payband Schedule - Minimum Wage Adjustment
OPM 11-28 – 06/28/11: The Oklahoma Supreme Court Renders Opinion in the Oklahoma State Employee Birth Dates and Employee Identification Numbers Case
OPM 11-29 – 07/18/11: Low Water Pressure Forcing Closing of Certain Buildings in the State Capitol Complex
OPM 11-30 – 08/01/11: Fiscal Impact Informationon Form OPM-92-Personnel Transaction Freeze Exception Request
OPM 11-31– 08/16/11: REVISED Fiscal Impact Informa­tion
on Form OPM-92-Personnel Transaction Freeze Exception Request
OPM 11-32 – 08/30/11: Leave Sharing Registry
(NOTE: These and previous All Appointing Authorities memos may be accessed on the OPM web site at www.opm.ok.gov under the “All Appointing Authority Memos” link.)
AGENCY PROFESSIONAL
HR STAFF CHANGES
Insurance Department
Angie Fields – promoted to HR Manager.
Cindy Mooney – departure.
Health Care Authority
Kara Kerns – new - Assistant Director of HR.
Tourism and Recreation Department
Leslie Cook – new - HR Assistant.
Health Department
Mark Stuchlik – new - Workforce Planning Director.
Lonnie Burcham – new - Training Specialist.
Trent Bourland – new - Training Specialist.
*CORRECTION: Nduta Mbugua - promotion to Classifi­cation
Specialist. (*erroneously listed in previous edition as demotion. Please accept our sincere apologies!)
Career Tech
Valerie McBane – departure.
Commissioners of the Land Office
Debra Sprehe – new - Executive Secretary/HR Manager.
Employment Security Commission
Rebecca Lewis – departure.
Karen Davis – new - HR Management Specialist IV.
Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services
Ellen Buettner – named Interim Director of HR Manage­ment
and Development.
Carolyn Merritt – departure.
Donnita Heck – retirement.Oklahoma Office of Personnel Management
2101 N. Lincoln Boulevard, Suite B-22 | Oklahoma City, OK 73105
405/521.2177 | www.opm.ok.gov
Oscar B. Jackson, Jr., IPMA-CP
Administrator and Cabinet Secretary of Human Resources & Administration
Janet Anderson & Michelle Crozier
Editors
Oscar Jackson, Hank Batty, Lisa Fortier, Brian King, Tom Patt, Natasha Riley, Janet Anderson,
Joyce Doakes Smith, Ross Tripp, Kara Smith, Marilyn Capps and Brenda Thornton
Article Contributors
This publication has been printed and distributed by the Office of Personnel Management as authorized
by the Administrator, Oscar B. Jackson, Jr. Fifty copies have been printed at a cost of $60.74.
16

OPM HR Exchange
3rd Quarter September 2011
A publication of the Office of Personnel Management of the
State of Oklahoma Office of State Finance
6th Annual Governor’s Executive Development Program for State Officials
Lisa Fortier, Director of HRDS
41 participants, including Agency Directors and other top executives in state government, attended the 4½ day “Governor’s Executive Development Program for State Officials” held July 31 through August 4, 2011, on the Okla¬homa State University campus in Stillwater. The program was co-hosted by the William S. Spears School of Business at Oklahoma State University and the Michael F. Price College of Business at the University of Okla­homa,
in cooperation with the Oklahoma Office of Personnel Management.
The program was designed around five executive leadership competencies identified by the U.S. Office of Personnel Manage¬ment, including leading change, leading people, results driven, business acumen, and building coalitions and communications. Instruc­tors
from Oklahoma State University, the University of Oklahoma, American University, and the Oklahoma Historical (cont. on pg 3)hr exch
CONTENTS
COVER:
6TH ANNUAL GOVERNOR’S EXECUTIVE
DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM FOR STATE
OFFICIALS
03 / • HB2140 Consolidation Begins
04 / • IPMA-HR Hosts Leadership
Conference
05 / • Multigenerational Aspects of
Workforce
06 / • Agency HR Manager Spotlight :
Jenelle P. Turner-Reid
07 / • OPM Holds Summer Training on
Affirmative Action Plans
08 / • 10th Anniversary Remembrance of
9/11
10 / • 2011 IPAC Conference
• 2011 Emergency Rule Amendment
• OPM Administrators Attend NASPE
Annual Conference
11 / • State Members of Leadership Oklahoma
Class XXV
12 / • OKCAREERS Renews JobAps Contract
• State Employees Give Benefits High
Marks in Survey
13 / • Oklahoma to be Included in
International Research Paper
14 / • The Reputation of Good Leadership
Travels Far
15 / • 2011 AAA Memos
• Agency Professional HR Staff Changes
• CPP & SHRM Certifications 03
Executive Development Program cont. from cover
Society presented information on: Emotional Intelligence: Competencies of Star Performers: Historical Perspectives of Oklahoma Government; The Rise and Fall of Entitlement: Creating a Culture of Accountability; Storytelling to Enhance Orga­nizational
Performance; The “State” of the Public Sector Leadership Challenge; Decision Making and Critical Thinking; Legal and Ethical Issues In Government; From Traditionals to Millennials: Leading Generations at Work; Discover Your Leader­ship
Strengths; Getting the Bad News You Need: Maximizing Human Resources with Leadership Communication; Leading Change; and, Developing Influence and Managing Change in Public Sector Organizations.
On the final day of the program, Dr. Phyllis Hudecki, Oklahoma State Secretary of Education, spoke on behalf of Governor Mary Fallin, and then presented certificates of completion to all of the participants. All graduates have been invited to a photo session with Governor Mary Fallin in the Blue Room of the Oklahoma State Capitol on September 8, 2011.
Participants in the session included: Martha Penisten, Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality; Lesli Blazer, Oklaho­ma
Department of Human Services; Crystal Townsend, Oklahoma Commission on Marginally Producing Oil & Gas Wells; Lisa Blodgett, Sara Cowden and Terry Zuniga, Oklahoma Department of Central Services; Leon Bragg and Sylvia Lopez, Oklahoma Health Care Authority; Darlene Drew, Kay Newell and John Pettis, Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency;
Steve Funck, Jill Geiger, Carol McFarland and Alex Pettit, Oklahoma Office of State Finance; Kelly Baker, K. C. Ely, Neil Hann and Lauri Smithee, Oklahoma State Department of Health; Marla Baker, Kevin Statham and Noel Tyler, Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services; Jamey Allen and Judy Buck, Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food & Forestry; Vaughn Clark, Oklahoma Department of Commerce; Mike Fina, Mickerl Jones, Cindy Melton and Elton Milton, Oklahoma Department of Cen­tral
Services; Sarah Mussett, Oklahoma Construction Industries Board; Michelle Wynn, Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science & Technology; Susan Cain, Oklahoma State Fire Marshal’s Office; Debra Roseburr and Pete Shipman, Oklahoma Employment Security Commission; Lynn Bajema, Bo Reese and Frank Wilson, Oklahoma State Education & Employees Group Insurance Board; Brian King, Oklahoma Employees Benefits Council; Mike Thompson, Oklahoma Department of Public Safety; Tom Patt, Oklahoma Office of Personnel Management; and Stephen McKeever, Oklahoma State University.
HB 2140 Consolidation Begins
Carol McFarland, Transition Project Manager, Office of State Finance
On May 24, 2011, House Bill 2140, the State Government Administrative Process Consolidation and Reor­ganization
Reform Act of 2011, was signed into law. It became effective August 26, 2011. The bill calls for the consolidation of five state government administration agencies. The Office of State Finance (OSF) is charged with leading the consolidation of its organization with the Department of Central Services (DCS), the Employee Benefits Council (EBC), the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Oklahoma State and Education Employees Group Insurance Board (OSEEGIB). That integrates a wide range of responsibilities and core missions!
So what does this mean for state employees? For those in one of the five agencies, it means a time of change. The first course of action is to consolidate “back office functions” by the end of the calendar year. These agencies will be involved in combining some of their accounting processes as well as payroll and human resource functions. OSF staff members will be contacting their counterparts in the other agencies to meld their operations
For employees in other agencies, there may not be too many noticeable changes immediately. As soon as possible, the five “departments” will be working to streamline and / or improve other functions and processes. This is an opportunity to evaluate the need for changes in our structure, operations and/or policy. This will eventually lead to some noticeable differences and we look forward to feedback from our customers.
We are under an obligation through the legislation to identify a 15 percent cost savings. This is a tricky prospect with all the cutbacks and shortfalls we’ve endured the past couple of years. However, we anticipate the consolidation along with some improved processes will result in that savings. We’ll be updating Governor Fallin on our progress in a report due by December 31.
As the Transition Project Manager, please feel free to contact me at any time about concerns or questions you may have. You can reach me by phone at (405) 521-6150 or by email at Carol.McFarland@osf.ok.gov. I look forward to working with every­one
involved! 04
IPMA-HR Hosts Leadership Conference
Tom Patt, Assistant Administrator for Management Services
The current and future leaders of the International Public Management Association for Human Resources (IPMA-HR), its local chapters and regions, met in Las Vegas, NV, August 19 – 21, 2011, for a leadership conference to immerse themselves in leadership training and information about the Association. The conference brought together 63 people in leadership positions from all four regions of IPMA-HR. The Association paid for the registration fees and accommodations of the attendees, who consisted of chapter presidents and presidents-elect, as well as regional officers of the Association.
In attendance from Oklahoma were Jenelle Turner-Reid, Human Resources Management Specialist at the Oklahoma Edu­cational
Television Authority and current President of the Oklahoma Public Human Resources Association (OPHRA), the Oklahoma chapter of IPMA-HR; and Tom Patt, Assistant Administrator for Management Services at the Oklahoma Office of Personnel Management and President-Elect of OPHRA.
The first day of the conference involved an interactive discussion regarding leaders and leadership principles. This discus­sion
was facilitated by Cheryl Cepelak, the Director of Administration for the Connecticut Department of Corrections. With the assistance of the facilitator, the group addressed issues such as the challenges of being a volunteer leaders and the characteristics of effective and ineffective leaders.
One activity that generated a great deal of lively discussion was the world café of hot topics. World café is a format for fostering collaborative dialogue about a topic or set of topics among groups of people. As used in this setting, the larger group of conference attendees was evenly divided into smaller groups, each with a separate topic. Topics to be discussed included such issues as sustainability, technology, and best practices. Each group discussed their respective topic for ap­proximately
15 minutes, then moved to a different topic. A facilitator was assigned to each group to capture the key ideas discussed and to summarize those ideas for the ensuing discussion group. In each subsequent discussion session, the key ideas were discussed in more depth. At the end of the four rounds, the facilitators reported back on major insights brought forth during the discussion groups.
On the last day of the conference, IPMA-HR Executive Director Neil Reichenberg presented updates on the Association. He discussed the strategic planning process the organization has undertaken; the results of the recent membership sur­vey;
the products and services of the Association; publications and social media involvement; the certification program; the international activities of the Association; and regional and chapter services. Heather Corbin, Professional Development and Research Coordinator for the Association, gave a short presentation on the International Training Conference that will be held September 24 – 28 in Chicago, Illinois. She also reviewed the many professional development courses available through the Association.
Both Tom and Jenelle expressed their appreciation for the wealth of information provided during the short, one and one-half day conference. “This was my second conference, “ said Jenelle, who attended last year as OPHRA President-Elect, “but I feel I learned as much this year as I did last. It was an excellent investment of time.” Similar sentiments were echoed by other attendees as the conference came to a close.
In the picture, from left to right:
Neil Reichenberg , IPMA-HR Executive Director; Tom Patt, OPHR President-Elect, OPM;
and Jenelle Turner-Reid,
OPHR President, OETA.05
Multigenerational Aspects of Workforce
Ross Tripp, Workforce Planning Manager
As of June 30th 2011, there are 34,390 full time/regular employees working in Oklahoma’s State Gov­ernment.
That’s one state employee for every one hundred and seven citizens; a relatively high number compared to other states. Professionals comprise the vast majority of state workers at forty-six percent and administrative support ranks second at fourteen percent. Of the 34,390 workers approximately fifty-seven percent of those employees are female and twenty-three percent are minority and the average state worker is approximately forty-six years of age.
When looking at the composition of the state workforce these are all valuable statistics. But, in looking at who this work­force
is and how it will change over time there are other factors to consider. For the last decade there has been an in­creasing
trend in HR to study employee composition not simply by size, ethnicity, gender or age; but to also look at its generational representation. No doubt spurred by the impending departure of the largest generation in the workforce, the Baby Boomers; these studies look less at traditional compositional studies of our workforce, but instead at what strengths and weakness can be projected based on generational understandings and the interactions between these generations. I.E. the more we understand about the groups, the more we know how to identify potential conflicts and expectations as the workplace transforms in the wake of the impending retirement bubble.
There are four distinct generations in the workforce today with one group, the baby boomers large enough and diverse enough to be divided into two categories (early and late). They are: The Traditionals, the Baby Boomers (early and late), Generation X, and Generation Y (Millennials). There is debate on the size and range of each generation but here is a brief summary: The Traditionals are comprised of the 75 million people born before 1945. The Baby Boomers (early and late) are the approximately 80 million born between 1945-1967, Gen- Xers are a much smaller generation and comprise the 46 million born between 1967-1982, and the Millennials number about 76 million and range from 1982 to approximately year 2000. The chart below shows how Oklahoma’s workforce is falls into the generational groups.
Not surprisingly the Baby Boomers, even when broken into early and late comprise the largest section of Oklahoma’s workforce. However, Gen-Xers hold a surprisingly large percentage of jobs considering their much smaller population. In addition, while retirement eligibility projections seem to point to a mass exodus of baby boomers over the next ten years, hiring and retirement patterns indicate that while the number of early boomers will reduce significantly, late bloomers and Gen-Xers will likely remain constant. Millennials will increase over the next ten years but, in smaller numbers than initially expected.
There are of course many potential influencing factors and possible ramifications and this article is too brief to discuss them all in-depth, but more information about this generational analysis can be found in the FY2011 OPM Annual Report and Workforce Summary. For more information on this article or the OPM FY2011 Annual Report, please contact Ross Tripp, Manager of Workforce Planning, at (405) 521-6376 or ross.tripp@opm.ok.gov.06
Agency HR Director Spotlight: Jenelle P. Turner-Reid
OKLAHOMA EDUCATIONAL TELEVISION AUTHORITY (OETA)
The Oklahoma Educational Television Authority (OETA-The Oklahoma Network) provides educational and public television programming and services to Oklahomans state­wide.
OETA employs the creative use of telecommunica­tions
technologies to deliver essential educational services to enrich the quality of life for all Oklahoma citizens.
As a result of that mission, OETA consistently engages Oklahomans across the state with engaging and interactive content, outreach initiatives and online features that collec­tively
encourage lifelong learning.
In 1956, OETA began with one transmitting station, little money, limited broadcast hours and a small, almost immea­surable
audience. Today, with OETA’s statewide network of four transmitting stations and 15 translator stations, more than 1.8 million viewers tune into OETA and a second digi­tal
channel, OKLA, on a weekly basis. OETA consistently places among the top three public television stations in the country.
Recently, OETA has extended its reach beyond the tele­vision
screen and into Oklahoma communities, adding di­verse
outreach initiatives to complement programming and local productions. Highlights include Centennial produc­tions,
World War II and Native American story collection and literacy initiatives.
By using the power of educational media, OETA strives to close the achievement gap and increase the odds for Oklahoma’s children, regardless of circumstances, to suc­ceed
in school and life. The Ready to Learn program is a unique, collaborative effort led by OETA in partnership with the Oklahoma Department of Libraries and the Oklahoma Department of Human Services. Ready to Learn prepares children for school, working to reduce illiteracy and help build a foundation for a lifetime of learning.
One of the most important ways OETA serves the people of Oklahoma is by providing thousands of hours of solid, in-depth political and governmental coverage, as well as award-winning, inspiring, entertaining, educational and informational programs and documentaries exploring the arts, culture, current issues and history of this great state.
Jenelle has been at OETA as a Human Resources Manage­ment
Specialist since June 1, 2006. Before joining OETA, Jenelle worked as an HR Manager for Eagle Ridge Institute for nine years. Her current duties include various Human Resources responsibilities including maintaining current state and federal compliance laws and Federal Commu­nication
Commission regulations for Oklahoma’s Public Broadcasting Service.
She is a Certified Personnel Professional, Notary Officer, Affirmative Action Officer, State Charitable Champaign Co­ordinator,
Mediation Representative, and Benefits & Retire­ment
Coordinator for OETA.
Elected to the Oklahoma Public Human Resources Associa­tion
(OPHRA) Board of Directors as the 2nd Vice President for FY09 she is currently the President of OPHRA 2011-2012.
She currently serves on the Employees Benefits Coordinators Association as co-chair and has been a member since 2006.
In addition, Mrs. Turner-Reid has served on the 2008 National Association of State Personnel Executives hosting committee and the International Public Management Association for Hu­man
Resources Region Conference in Oklahoma City April 24-28, 2010.
Regularly attends Human Resource Development Services workshops, IPMA-HR Leadership trainings, OPHRA quarterly trainings, OKC Metro Employer Council monthly trainings, and Leadership Development Training hosted by the Federal Ex­ecutive
Board.
Jenelle completed her degree in 1984 in Norfolk, Virginia. Her special interests include traveling and spending time with her family. She has been married to Eddie for 26 years and they have five children (ages 30, 25, 22, 16 & 13) two granddaugh­ters
(ages 8 (Graisen), 5 (Keira) and one grandson (age 2 (Collin)).07
OPM Holds Summer Training on Affirmative Action Plans
Brenda Thornton, Director of Equal Opportunity and Workforce Diversity
“Thank you for making a sometimes “sensitive” topic very informative and fun to learn about.” “(I) learned to reach out to more minorities. Great work!” “Thanks for having this training earlier than August!”
This summer has been very educational for those needing to learn more about the affirmative action plan process. Above are just some of the many comments that were included on the evaluation sheets following training at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Brenda C. Thornton, Director of the OPM Office of Equal Opportu­nity
and Workforce Diversity (EOWD), used this time of the year to teach at all levels of the process.
Summer began with four half-day advanced/feedback training sessions being conducted in June. The feedback training is intended for the person who already has knowledge about and responsibility for creating an agency affirmative action plan in either a large or small agency. It is designed for open discussions and feedback regarding issues about the affirmative action plan process.
Traditionally held in July and as late as August, the advanced/feedback sessions were moved to June as a result of feedback from a training course addressing further clarification of the process conducted last year by April Story, Human Resources Programs Manager with the Oklahoma State and Education Employees Group Insurance Board (OSEEGIB). Participants stated that they would prefer to have the advanced/feedback training earlier in the summer, thus, allowing them more time to prepare and submit their plans before the September 1 deadline.
Mid-summer saw four half-day beginning training sessions scheduled, one in July and three in August. The beginning train­ing
is basic level training, intended for the person who is new to or with little to no knowledge about how to create an agency affirmative action plan. The assumption in these sessions is that participants know nothing about the affirmative action plan or process.
Participants of both the advanced and beginning training sessions received three hours of credit towards their mandatory annual training requirements.
In addition to the advanced and beginning training sessions, during the last week in August a half-day training session was conducted specifically for the Affirmative Action Review Council (AARC) members. Kara Smith, OPM General Counsel, reviewed and explained the statutory responsibilities assigned to the council members. The AARC is composed of Rep. Mike Shelton and Rep. Jabar Shumate (appointed by the Governor), Harold Roberts and Gloria Wallace (appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives), and David Ealy and Jonathan Small II (appointed by the Senate President Pro Tempore).
One question on the evaluation sheet asked the participant to list at least one way they will use this course content at work. Comments included the following:
“To complete error-free AA/EEO Plan.” “In preparing our affirmative action plan and enforcing it. Very helpful!” “In prepara­tion
of Affirmative Action Plan for agency and in communicating the goals and purpose of EEO/Affirmative Action to others at work.” “To competently put together an AA Plan.”
These results epitomize the objectives established for the affirmative action plan training and the state of Oklahoma, now with a well-trained affirmative action work force, is the winner.08
This article appeared ten years ago in the September 18, 2001 issue of the ASPAnet newsletter of the American Society for Public Administration, one week after the September 11, 2001 bombing of the World Trade Center in New York City.
“Terrorist Attacks . . . ‘Déjà Vu All Over Again’!”
10th Anniversary Remembrance of 9/11
Oscar Jackson, OPM Administrator & Cabinet Secretary for Human Resources and Administration
The Shock, the Horror, and the Similarity
On Wednesday, April 19, 1995, a little after 9:00 a.m., my Executive Assistant advised me that the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City had been bombed. On Tuesday, September 11, 2001, a little after 9:00 a.m., my Executive Assis-tant advised me that the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon just outside Washington, DC had been attacked. As I stared at the television screen in dis-belief, I couldn’t help but think, as Yogi Berra once observed, “It’s déjà vu all over again.” Though one horrible event was perpetrated by a malcontent from within the United States, and the other appears to have been orchestrated by elements outside the United States, the feelings, emotions, and images following these terrible inci-dents are so similar—and so are the demands on public servants.
It has never been easy being a public servant, and during the last few years it has seemed particularly difficult, what with news of workplace violence becoming more and more commonplace. Of course, Oklahoma received a most brutal wake-up call concerning workplace violence when the Murrah Building was bombed by a cowardly individual in support of what he considered a worthwhile cause. One hundred sixty-eight individuals perished that day, the vast majority of whom were public servants. Two were state employees at work in other buildings also severely damaged by the blast.
The first photos last Tuesday of rescue workers among the rubble of the fallen twin towers of the World Trade Center were too eerily similar to those documenting the devastation at the base of the stricken federal office building in Oklahoma City a little over six years ago. Of course, the death toll from last week’s catastrophe will be even more staggering. And, a fair number of those individuals, too, will be public servants—those who re­sponded
immediately to news of the attack and those at work in the World Trade Center when evil paid its deadly call. Staff members of the New York Department of En­vironmental
Conservation, Department of Taxation and Finance, Department of Transportation, Court of Claims, Office of the State Comptroller, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey reported to work at their of­fices
in the twin towers on Tuesday morning unaware of the devastation about to be visited upon them. And, many are still unaccounted for.
Necessary, Practical Steps
So, what happens after the dust and smoke finally clear, the rubble is hauled away, and the lost are found, identi­fied,
and buried? As hard as it is to believe only one week after the attack on the World Trade Center and the Penta­gon,
life does go on and part of the focus will begin to shift from those who did not survive to those who did. Oklaho-mans learned what it means to be a “survivor” long before “reality TV” attempted to enlighten us.
In the hours immediately following the Murrah bombing, Robert Stevens, who coordi-nates the Office of Personnel Management State Employee Assistance Program (EAP), worked with other Oklahoma state government EAP pro­fessionals
to respond to the immediate need for a crisis briefing. Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating approved the request and authorized State EAP professionals to move forward with their plans. Staff quickly prepared instructional flyers, telephoned other agencies, set up a hotline, and gathered support from other sources in the community.
The day after the bombing the EAP briefing team advised agency directors, personnel managers, and supervisors of the need to be supportive of one another during the vari-ous phases of recovery. The EAP professionals cau­tioned
state agency managers to watch for signs of shock, anxiety, memory loss, irritability, and sensitivity. EAP staff members also cautioned these agency managers that severe emotional impact might not show up until later—as soon as six to seven days or as late as six to ten weeks after the incident. The members of the EAP cadre provided suggestions on strategies to cope with the wide range of emotions agency managers and their staff members might be experiencing. Individuals were encouraged to get some type of normalcy in their daily lives, exercise, take time to rest, and give themselves permission to take appropriate time to work through the trauma.
In addition, Mr. Stevens developed the “State Employees Bombing Recovery Commit-tee” to provide support and to aid in the recovery of state employees directly affected by the bombing. This group was made up of staff members of the state agencies housed in buildings damaged by the bombing—Oklahoma Basic Health Benefits Board; the Risk Management Division of the Department of Central Services; Oklahoma Guaranteed Student Loan Program; Oklahoma Tuition Aid Grant Program; the State Historic Preservation Office of the Oklahoma Historical Society; Oklahoma Department of Securities; Oklahoma Water Re09
sources Board; Criminal Justice Resource Center of Okla­homa;
Truth in Sentencing Policy Advisory Commission; and the Oklahoma Small Business Development Center of the University of Central Oklahoma—who met many times during the painful days, weeks, and months follow­ing
the bombing and who proved to be helpful not only to each other, but to other state government colleagues who, though they did not suffer as directly, suffered nonetheless.
On May 1, 1995, Governor Keating issued an Executive Order directing that state em-ployees “with immediate family members dead, missing, or seriously injured as a result” of the Murrah bombing be granted leave with pay, which he called “disaster leave”, from April 19, 1995, through May 19, 1995. Because time away from work must be ac-counted for in some way and because there were no policies or procedures addressing an incident such as the Murrah bombing, on May 16, I, as Administrator of the Office of Personnel Management, adopted an emergency amendment to the Merit Rules of Per-sonnel Administra­tion
to authorize disaster leave for state employees. The Governor approved this rule and it became effective imme­diately
for the time period specified in the Executive Order.
On May 18, 1995, I adopted an emergency amendment to the Merit Rules of Personnel Administration providing for paid administrative leave for state employees physically injured as a result of the Murrah bombing. On October 17, 1995, I adopted an emer-gency rule that applied to em­ployees
of state agencies housed in buildings damaged by the Murrah bombing and state employees physically present in such buildings in an official capacity who suf­fered
physical, mental, or emotional harm as a result of the bombing. This rule came about as the result of input from the survivors’ group mentioned earlier—members were concerned that many employees who were not physically harmed by the bombing did suffer mental and emotional harm.
In 1997, I adopted two rules authorizing paid administrative leave for state employees to attend the trials of Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, the two men charged in the Murrah bombing. Both rules were effective through July 14, 1998.
Some Thoughts On This Thing Called Public Service
A couple of weeks after the Murrah bombing, we cel­ebrated
Public Service Recog-nition Week here in Okla­homa,
as did many of you in your home states. Some folks criticized us for not canceling this annual celebration of public sector employees. They said it seemed somewhat disrespectful in light of the bombing. We politely disagreed. We felt that it was the perfect time to lift up public employ­ees,
to give them long-overdue praise for their service to the citizens of the state and the nation. We felt it was a good time to say thank you, too late for some, for all these public servants do for so many people everyday. We felt it was appropriate, at that time, to honor not just those public employees who perished even as they served, but to honor those who, in some cases, traveled many miles and put their physical and mental health on the line to rescue those they could rescue and to bury those they could not. And, who thought nothing of it.
The late United States Senator Sam Ervin called public servants “men and women of capacity” who, if they “refuse to take part in politics and government . . . condemn them-selves, as well as the people, to the punishment of living under bad government.” For-tunately, but sadly, there seems to be no limit to the “men and women of capacity” who live and work in Oklahoma, New York, and every other state in the Union. It is not an exaggeration to say we would all be lost without them.10
OPM Administrators Attend NASPE Annual Conference
Hank Batty, Deputy Administrator for Programs
OPM Administrator Oscar Jackson and Deputy Administrator Hank Batty attended the National Association of State Personnel Executives (NASPE) Annual Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana July 16 through July 20, 2011. The gathering included HR executives from thirty-two states as well as corporate sponsors representing thirteen vendors of HR-related products. Hank Batty completed his term as a member of the NASPE Executive Committee.
As had been the case at the NASPE Mid-year meeting last January, the focus of attention continued to fall on the tight budgets facing virtually all state governments and the various strategies being employed to confront them. In particular, many states, including Oklahoma, have initiated consolidation efforts that combine several agencies into one in the hopes of eliminating any duplication of functions that may be identified. Other states have or will initiate shared services programs that centralize HR functions, especially payroll and personnel transactions, and HR authority into a central HR department or agency. “Ironically, these centralizing efforts come in the wake of the trend toward de-centralization of state HR services in the past fifteen years,” said Batty. “As states move to enterprise-wide HR systems, the shared services approach promises not only significant savings in staff needed to maintain HR records but also dramatic reductions in errors entered into HR systems,” he added, noting that Pennsylvania, for one, reduced its error rate on HR records from over 5 percent to less than one percent thanks to a shared service implementation.
Both Batty and Jackson believe strongly that involvement in NASPE serves the state HR community well. More than one ob­server
has noted that state governments are the laboratories of public sector innovation and creativity. Through NASPE, Okla­homa’s
HR community can learn first-hand of the experiences of others and strategies for meeting the challenges we all face.
The 2011 conference of the International Personnel Assessment Council (IPAC) was held July 17-20 in Washington, D.C. Natasha Riley and Justine Heard represented the Office of Personnel Management at the conference. The conference included many valuable sessions focusing on development and valida­tion
of selection instruments, job analysis, and using technology in selection. As always, it also provided wonderful opportunities to discuss assessment issues with other assessment professionals from public jurisdictions as well as consultants who work in the field of personnel assessment.
2011 IPAC Conference
Natasha Riley, Director of Personnel Assessment
Please be advised that amendments to the following Merit Rules were approved by Governor Mary Fallin on August 31, 2011. The effective date of the amendments to the following Merit Rules is August 31, 2011.
MERIT RULES
Subchapter 15. Time and Leave
Part 5. Miscellaneous Types of Leave
530:10-15-58 [NEW]
Appendix A. Pay Band Schedule [REVOKED]
Appendix A. Pay Band Schedule [NEW]
2011 Emergency Rule Amendments
Kara Smith, General Counsel11
In 1986, a group of Oklahoma leaders began a series of meetings and discussions based on the belief that we all have a stake in developing the prosperity and confronting the problems of our state. They shared the conviction that our leadership must understand the complex differences and relationships that drive Oklahoma in order to find effective solutions. From those meetings came Leadership Oklahoma, an organization designed to create a dynamic network of leaders whose increased awareness and com­mitment
to service will energize Oklahomans to shape the state’s future. As we enter our 25th year, the founding principles of Leadership Oklahoma are still true.
Each year, Leadership Oklahoma brings together 50 of the state’s most outstanding leaders for 10 issues-oriented sessions that address critical challenges facing our state. Participants are chosen through a rigorous application process and selected to represent Oklahoma’s professional, geographical, and cultural diversity. Class members hail from public and private sectors, large traded companies and small startups, government and business, univer­sity
and elementary education. The goal is to tap the energies of those leaders to initiate positive change for the benefit of all Oklahomans. The shared Leadership Oklahoma experience forges lifelong bonds, a collaborative spirit and exposure to a broad range of communities. We motivate graduates to learn more about Oklahoma’s local, regional and statewide issues. When diverse minds from diverse backgrounds work together, nothing is impossible.
In Leadership Oklahoma Class XXV we are fortunate to have three representatives from state government as class members. They are (pictured below from left to right):
• Ken Miller, Oklahoma State Treasurer, State of Oklahoma
• Brent Wright, Director of Government Affairs, Oklahoma National Guard
• Mike Thompson, Deputy Commissioner of Government Relations & Public Affairs,
Oklahoma Insurance Department, Commissioner John Doak
Leadership Oklahoma graduates remain connected to the organization and its members after their class year. They see the result of the common experiences and work toward change through mutual respect with other graduates. Graduates of Leadership Oklahoma include Brad Henry, Jari Askins, Janet Barresi, Sandy Garrett, Don Armes, Jim Reese, Gary Banz, Glenn Coffee, Drew Edmondson, Terri White, Joe Dorman, Lee Denney, Randy McDaniel, Kevin Ward, Oscar Jackson, Noel Tyler, T.W. Shannon, Scott Pruitt, Kerry Pettingill, Kim Holland, Phyllis Hudecki, Susan Paddack, Anastasia Pittman, Ben Sherrer, Clark Jolley, Cliff Branan, Jabar Shumate, Jeannie McDaniel, Joe Sweeden, Mike Jackson, Rob Johnson, Todd Russ, Wes Hilliard, and many others.
During each Leadership Oklahoma class, I watch people learn more about issues from around our state. I watch as participants are inspired by what they have learned. I watch them get more involved in improving our state. That personal commitment brings about positive change. Leadership Oklahoma develops the leaders who make Okla­homa
a better place to live and work for everyone. Leadership Oklahoma provides hope for the future.
State Members of Leadership Oklahoma Class XXV
Ann Ackerman, CEO, Leadership Oklahoma12
OKCAREERS Renews JobAps Contract
Hank Batty, Deputy Administrator for Programs
After having completed an initial three-year contract, the Office of Personnel Management has renewed its contract with One Planet Web Inc. DBA Job Aps for one (1) year: July 1, 2011 thru June 30, 2012 with the op­tion
to renew for four (4) additional one (1) year periods. The JobAps vendor software provides the platform for OKCareers, the state’s web-based employment application, testing, applicant tracking and certification system that was launched in January, 2008.
“OKCareers has allowed us to provide a level of service to state agencies and job applicants that far surpasses anything we had had before”, said Hank Batty, Deputy Administrator for Programs. Where OPM used to receive approximately 80,000 applica­tions
for state employment each year, Applicant Services staff now receives up to 120,000. Also OKCareers enables OPM to target specific vacancies in both the classified and unclassified service while reducing the amount of labor required by OPM staff and the staff of hiring agencies. “Going back to our pre-OKCareers systems would be tantamount to the return of pay phones and adding machines,” said Batty.
State Employees Give Benefits High Marks in Survey
Brian King, Comminications Officer, Employees Benefit Council of the Office of State Finance
How important is the benefits package in your decision to work for the State? For 92 percent of the state employees who answered a recent survey, the answer is “important” or “very important.”
The question was one of several that hundreds of state employees answered in the 2011 Total Compensa­tion
Statement Survey. The personalized statements, which feature dollar values of each employee’s salary, insurance costs, retirement, and statutory benefits, were distributed in April. The statements included a letter from Governor Mary Fallin, en­couraging
recipients to participate in the survey. Most of the respondents answered the survey online through the Benefits Administration System on the Employees Benefits Council Web site, while others filled out paper versions available through their Benefits Coordinators.
In one section of the survey, respondents were asked to rate their level of satisfaction with 14 separate parts of their total com­pensation
on a scale from one to five, with five as “very satisfied” and one as “very unsatisfied.” Not surprisingly, leave time earned the most favorable marks. Annual leave scored the highest, with a combined 88 percent of “very satisfied” (42%) and “satisfied” (46%). Sick leave and holidays tied for a close second-place finish with 86 percent either “very satisfied” or “satis­fied.”
On the other end of the spectrum was Annual Base Salary with 36 percent of respondents rating it either a “4” or a “5.”
Other highlights from the survey:
• 73 percent gave favorable marks to health insurance.
• 80 percent gave favorable marks to dental insurance.
• 88 percent indicated they feel well informed about the
benefits offered by the State.
• 82 percent indicated they found their personalized
Total Compensation Statement valuable.
The Total Compensation Survey was conducted by the Employees Benefits Council and Office of Personnel Management with input from the Oklahoma Public Em­ployees
Retirement System.13
Oklahoma to be Included in International Research Paper
Brenda Thornton, Director of Equal Opportunity and Workforce Diversity
The first correspondence began: “First of all, please allow me to introduce my­self.
My name is Mariko Nohata, and I am a professor of Sociology in Tsuru University, Ja­pan.
My specialty is Industrial Sociology, especially Corporate Culture, Gender Discrimination and Fe­male
Career Advancement in the workplace. I am writing this letter to ask you to be interviewed for the research on Diversity and Inclusion in the United States.” Prof. Nohata wrote this message in June to Brenda C. Thornton, Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity and Workforce Diversity (EOWD) at the Office of Personnel Man­agement
(OPM), after finding her name and contact information through the OPM home page during a search on the internet.
Subsequent messages between the two pro­vided
clarity to Prof. Nohata’s reason for contact and mission. She was coming to the United States to study diversity and inclusion in this country “where the initiatives began and lead other coun­tries.”
Her mission for coming to Oklahoma was to study diversity and inclusion and af­firmative
action of this State based on a report she found that credited Oklahoma’s diversity as one of the best practices.
During the actual interview with Ms. Thornton on August 12, Prof. Nohata and her Assistant/Husband Hiroyasu Nohata shared a document that they had located on the internet entitled Best Practices in Diversity Management, prepared by the IPMA/NASPE (International Personnel Management Association/Na­tional
Association of State Personnel Executives) Benchmark­ing
Committee for presentation during the United Nations Expert Group Meeting on Managing Diversity in the Civil Service held in New York City in May 2001. As a result of reading this report, Prof. Nohata was determined to visit Oklahoma for her research.
The IPMA/NASPE Benchmarking Committee, consisted of pub­lic
sector human resource practitioners, conducted benchmark­ing
surveys in 1998 and 2000 of both IPMA and NASPE mem­bers.
The primary areas surveyed in 1998 were recruitment and selection, recruitment and retention of information technology staff, and training; in 2000 total compensation, recruitment and selection, and training were surveyed. About 350 orga­nizations
completed the 1998 survey and approximately 200 organizations completed the 2000 survey. An analy­sis
of the results identified a key component of the project of best practice organizations. The goal of selecting best practice organizations was to highlight successful models that could be reviewed and adapted in whole or in part by public sector organizations.
From the data contained in the 1998 survey, nineteen best practice organizations were selected in the following areas: diversity/affirmative action; timely hiring; information tech­nology
recruitment and selection; training evaluation; and linking competencies to training. The diversity best practice organizations were the States of Oklahoma, Washington, Wisconsin and the City of St. Petersburg, Florida. Best practice orga­nizations
value people and cultivate an environment where cultural awareness, sensitivity, fair­ness
and integ­rity
prosper. All employees be­lieve
that they can progress if they are quali­fied,
motivated and work hard. (At the time of the report, the Benchmarking Committee had not selected best practice organizations from the 2000 survey.)
Some reasons given in the paper that the State of Okla­homa
was selected as a best practice organization in­cluded
Oklahoma has an effective law that assigns key roles to the legislative leadership and mandates agency action; a commitment to diversity from top management; a strong oversight role for the State Office of Personnel Management (OPM); and a civil service system with no labor unions; thus, putting the State’s philosophy regarding diversity and affirmative action at the forefront.
Pictured above: Prof. Mariko Nohata, Hiroyasu Nohata, Assistant and Husband to Prof. Mariko Nohata, and Brenda C. Thornton.
(cont. on page 14)14
The Reputation of Good Leadership Travels Far
Joyce Doakes Smith , Quality Oklahoma and Productivity Enhancement Programs Coordinator
Copious notes and lots of questions were the order of the day while Lilian Bimbirra de Assis tried to capture 32 years of program knowledge and 27 years of post program experience in just a few hours.
Recently, the National Consortium of Certified Public Managers®, the American Academy of Certified Public Managers® (AACPM), and the Oklahoma Society of Certified Public Managers® (OSCPM) were privileged to host Lilian Bim­birra
de Assis, executive coordinator of the Sistema de Avaliacilo de Potencial de Servidores Governamentais. Ms. Bimbirra de Assis was on a fact-finding mission to the United States to learn more about state certified public manager® programs, the Consortium and AACPM, and state Societies. The Brazilian leadership is very interested in the CPM program and its affiliate organizations and the possibility of replicating them there.
At the Oklahoma Office of Personnel Management, Ms. Bimbirra de Assis was introduced to Oscar B. Jackson, Jr., administra­tor,
and met with Lisa Fortier, director of the Oklahoma Certified Public Manager Program®, and Joyce Smith, AACPM immediate past president.
She later met with Annette Meyers, OSCPM president, and Paula Printup-Porter, OSCPM immediate past president.
Prior to arriving in Oklahoma City, Ms. Bimbirra de As­sis
visited Jack Lemons, Consortium executive direc­tor
in Raleigh, NC. After her meetings, here, and a quick trip to the Oklahoma City National Memorial, she left OKC enroute to Pennsylvania and Missouri to visit their program directors. She was invited to attend the Consortium’s annual meeting and the AACPM’s annu­al
conference in Salt Lake City, Utah in October 2011, and accepted the invitations.
Pictured from left to right: Lisa Fortier and Joyce Smith pose at OPM with Lilian Bambirra de Assis of Brazil.
International Research Parer cont. from page 13.
The paper concluded that “organizations can be strengthened by leveraging differences that mirror the diversity of its citizens. Surveys…demonstrated a positive impact on high performance where senior management teams include a diversity of ages, ethnicity, and gender. A diverse workforce also can improve organizational productivity and creativity. Managing a diverse workforce can be a challenge. When people from different backgrounds come together in the workplace, there is potential for great accomplishment, but also for great conflict. “
When asked what she planned to accomplish during her visit, Prof. Nohata stated, “I am visiting several leading governments and companies in diversity and inclusion to understand the policy and the practices; and also I am trying to make clear the dif­ferences
among diversity, diversity and inclusion, and affirmative action.”
When asked what she planned to accomplish with her research, Prof. Nohata said, “Japanese employers still regard traditional policy of lifetime employment and seniority system as CSR for employees although it might be difficult to maintain those prac­tices.
On the other hand, scholars argue that the objective of diversity initiatives is only the business strategy, but not CSR. As well affirmative action has finished. These assertions are very much questionable to me and I want to present the real American situation to Japanese society so to lead them toward correct understanding. The key point is, I think, that diversity and inclusion is cultural change and welcome to all various employees, and that affirmative action is strongly continuing.”
Following the interview with Ms. Thornton, the Nohatas visited with Oscar B. Jackson, Jr., OPM Administrator and Cabinet Sec­retary
of Human Resources and Administration, and Hank Batty, Deputy Administrator of Programs. Mr. Jackson presented each of them with an official state pin in memory of their visit to Oklahoma, and they exchanged traditional Japanese wrapping cloths as tokens of their appreciation.
Having traveled to Oklahoma City from Seattle, WA, the Nohatas planned to tour downtown, including the Bombing Memo­rial
and Bricktown, leaving the city to visit Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and New York City before returning to Japan. They arrived in Oklahoma with questions but left armed with good will, a better understanding of the Oklahoma affirmative action process, and a wealth of information for research, which Prof. Nohata “is pleased to share” upon its completion. 15
CERTIFIED PERSONNEL
PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS
(since June 2011)
Debbie A. Davis, ODMHSAS, June 23, 2011
Valerie D. McBane, ODCTE, June 23, 2011
Kristin H. Elsenbeck, OSF, June 6, 2011
Ellen M. Buettner, ODMHSAS, June 23, 2011
Craig A. Cates, EBC, June 27, 2011
Alyssa Lee, MPC, July 27, 2011
Candace F. Gutierrez, MPC, July 27, 2011
SOCIETY FOR HUMAN RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT CERTIFICATIONS &
RECERTIFICATIONS (since June 2011)
Jamie Bush, CompSource, Certified for Professional in Human Resources (PHR) Certification, 07/01/11
Oleda Hicks, Department of Labor, Certified for Pro­fessional
in Human Resources (PHR) Recertification, 07/01/11
Scott Lang, Tourism and Recreation Department, Certified for Professional in Human Resources (PHR) Recertification, 07/01/11
Note: For additional information on SHRM PHR, SPHR and GPHR certification, see www.shrm.org.
2011 ALL APPOINTING
AUTHORITIES MEMORANDUMS
OPM 11-26 – 06/20/11: 2012 Holiday Schedule for State Employees
OPM 11-27 – 06/24/11: Payband Schedule - Minimum Wage Adjustment
OPM 11-28 – 06/28/11: The Oklahoma Supreme Court Renders Opinion in the Oklahoma State Employee Birth Dates and Employee Identification Numbers Case
OPM 11-29 – 07/18/11: Low Water Pressure Forcing Closing of Certain Buildings in the State Capitol Complex
OPM 11-30 – 08/01/11: Fiscal Impact Informationon Form OPM-92-Personnel Transaction Freeze Exception Request
OPM 11-31– 08/16/11: REVISED Fiscal Impact Informa­tion
on Form OPM-92-Personnel Transaction Freeze Exception Request
OPM 11-32 – 08/30/11: Leave Sharing Registry
(NOTE: These and previous All Appointing Authorities memos may be accessed on the OPM web site at www.opm.ok.gov under the “All Appointing Authority Memos” link.)
AGENCY PROFESSIONAL
HR STAFF CHANGES
Insurance Department
Angie Fields – promoted to HR Manager.
Cindy Mooney – departure.
Health Care Authority
Kara Kerns – new - Assistant Director of HR.
Tourism and Recreation Department
Leslie Cook – new - HR Assistant.
Health Department
Mark Stuchlik – new - Workforce Planning Director.
Lonnie Burcham – new - Training Specialist.
Trent Bourland – new - Training Specialist.
*CORRECTION: Nduta Mbugua - promotion to Classifi­cation
Specialist. (*erroneously listed in previous edition as demotion. Please accept our sincere apologies!)
Career Tech
Valerie McBane – departure.
Commissioners of the Land Office
Debra Sprehe – new - Executive Secretary/HR Manager.
Employment Security Commission
Rebecca Lewis – departure.
Karen Davis – new - HR Management Specialist IV.
Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services
Ellen Buettner – named Interim Director of HR Manage­ment
and Development.
Carolyn Merritt – departure.
Donnita Heck – retirement.Oklahoma Office of Personnel Management
2101 N. Lincoln Boulevard, Suite B-22 | Oklahoma City, OK 73105
405/521.2177 | www.opm.ok.gov
Oscar B. Jackson, Jr., IPMA-CP
Administrator and Cabinet Secretary of Human Resources & Administration
Janet Anderson & Michelle Crozier
Editors
Oscar Jackson, Hank Batty, Lisa Fortier, Brian King, Tom Patt, Natasha Riley, Janet Anderson,
Joyce Doakes Smith, Ross Tripp, Kara Smith, Marilyn Capps and Brenda Thornton
Article Contributors
This publication has been printed and distributed by the Office of Personnel Management as authorized
by the Administrator, Oscar B. Jackson, Jr. Fifty copies have been printed at a cost of $60.74.
16